Native aluminium is an extremely rare metallic mineral that typically occurs as tiny inclusions or irregular grains within other minerals. Because it oxidizes easily in nature to form a protective layer, collectors should look for silver-white metallic flakes often found in geological settings associated with volcanic activity.
Is this native aluminium?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch native aluminium with a known reference. Native Aluminium sits at Mohs 2-3, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: grayish white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: massive, grains, flakes, thin plates.
Often confused with
Native Aluminium vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside native aluminium
Minerals reported to co-occur with native aluminium. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Al
- Mohs hardness
- 2-3
- Density
- 2.707 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Massive, grains, flakes, thin plates
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific research
- Host rock
- In a gabbro-dolerite massif (Billeekh intrusion, Russia); in aluminum-rich rocks; in high-temperature hydrothermal Sn–W deposits and their alteration zones; in volcanic ash
Where rockhounds find native aluminium
Classic worldwide localities
- Siberia, from the Billeekh (type locality), Tsepochechnyi, and Ust-Khann’ya intrusives, Vilyui River Basin, Russia
- Nizhefokinskii intrusion, Norilsk district, Russia
- Ukachilkan tin deposit, northeastern Sakha, Russia
- Tolbachik fissure volcano, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia
- A mud volcano on Bulla Island, Caspian Sea
- Kyzylcheku, Karamazar, Tajikistan
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: In a gabbro-dolerite massif (Billeekh intrusion, Russia); in aluminum-rich rocks; in high-temperature hydrothermal Sn–W deposits and their alteration zones; in volcanic ash. If you start seeing moissanite, magnetite, ilmenite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: massive, grains, flakes, thin plates. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify native aluminium?+
Where is native aluminium found?+
What rocks look like native aluminium?+
What minerals are found with native aluminium?+
What kind of rock does native aluminium form in?+
What is native aluminium used for?+
Find native aluminium on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
